Andre Ware Wins Heisman Trophy
The 55th winner of the Heisman Trophy is the gifted passing quarterback of the University of Houston, André Ware.
Ware is a junior and the first Cougar football player to win the college sport's most coveted individual award. He is, in addition, the first star from the Southwest Conference to win the Heisman Trophy since 1977 when Earl Campbell of the University of Texas was honored. In the first ten games of the 1989 season, he completed 329 passes in 516 attempts for 4,299 yards and 44 touchdowns. Against archrival Texas, Ware hurled four touchdown passes in leading the Cougars to a 47-9 victory. Facing a strong Texas Tech team, Ware had a sensational afternoon, completing 37 passes for 475 yards and four touchdowns. As a sophomore in 1988, Ware gave an early indication of just how good he was going to be at throwing the football. He passed for 25 touchdowns to set a Southwest Conference record, a mark he has bettered this season. He had only eight interceptions, which was a remarkable statistic given the fact that he was only a sophomore and the Houston team put the ball in the air most of the time. André played for the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. The Oakland Raiders signed André in 1998 and he retired from the NFL in 1999.
Andre Ware became Houston's first Heisman Trophy winner, taking three of the six sections. Indiana's Anthony Thompson won two sections and Major Harris of West Virginia took one making this race the fourth closest Heisman competition up to that point. Ware's Houston team was on probation in 1989 and he won despite not having any television exposure, the fist time a winner came from a team on probation.
Andre Ware (born July 31, 1968 in Dickinson, Texas) won the 1989 Heisman Trophy as a quarterback for the University of Houston. In the 1990 NFL Draft, Ware was the first round selection (#7 overall) of the Detroit Lions.
Upon leaving Dickinson High School, Andre Ware played at the University of Houston, where he was the first black quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy in 1989, along with the Davey O'Brien Award, the latter award given to the most outstanding college quarterback of the year. That year, his junior year, he threw for 4,699 yards, 44 touchdowns, and set 26 NCAA records. The Cougars ended the season ranked the #6 team in the nation by the Associated Press. Many of the records were thanks to the innovative use of the Run & Shoot offense, which his successor, David Klingler, also used to great effect. The Cougars ended the season ranked the #14 team in the nation by the Associated Press. He then declared for the NFL Draft, foregoing his senior year.
